Chelsea could potentially have been handed a major boost to their hopes of keeping Andreas Christensen at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer.
The Danish defender is out of contract at the end of the season and could be set to wave goodbye to west London for free.
Between now and then, the Blues will of course be keen to see the academy graduate pen an extended deal but as of the time of writing, an agreement has not yet been reached between the two parties.
According to previous reports, German giants Bayern Munich were interested in signing him as they attempt to find a replacement for previous Chelsea target Niklas Sule - who is himself set to secure a move at the end of the campaign having signed a pre-contract agreement with Borussia Dortmund.
However, it now appears that the Bavarians have potentially moved onto alternative targets with reports suggesting that they have got the wheels moving on a potential defensive signing ahead of the summer.
As per German outlet Sport1, Bayern have gone as far as opening talks with Torino regarding the transfer of Brazilian defender Gleison Bremer.
It is suggested that a deal could potentially cost in the region of €15million (£12.5million) and should the current Bundesliga champions manage to secure his services, then that would likely see their pursuit of Christensen come to an end sooner rather than later.
In what is an intriguing twist of fate though, Bremer is actually a name that has been associated with the Blues in the recent past.
Torino icon Ezio Rossi has remarked that the 24-year-old should like to move abroad - including to Stamford Bridge - instead of securing a switch to Serie A giants Juventus.
Speaking with TuttoJuve, he said: "Bremer is not for Juve!
"He is for Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester, Inter (Milan)! To the delight of (Torino president Urbano) Cairo!"
